14 THE TWIN-BROTHERS OF MEZZORANIA, 



wife declared, that her greater!: inclination had fallen 

 on him from whom fhe received the firft flower. Both 

 the brothers were now fet before her, and the queftion 

 was put to her, which of the two fhe would chufe if 

 the election were now freely left to herfelf? She 

 blufhed; and, after a few moments of comideration, 

 replied: " The younger! feems to have the greater! 

 * c inclination for me ;" at the fame time darting him a 

 look, that betrayed the fecret wifhes of her foul. 



All men now waited with impatience for the decree 

 of the prince, and eagerly ftrove to read in his eyes 

 the judgement he was going to pronounce : but parti- 

 cularly the two lovers, who fee me d expecting the fen- 

 tence of life and death. At length the prince addrefTed 

 himfelf to Berilla with a Hern and gloomy counte- 

 nance : " Thy misfortune, or rather thy imprudence, 

 " prevents thee for ever from poffeffing either of the 

 <c brothers. Thou haft given to each of them an in- 

 " conteftible right to thy perfon. One hope alone re- 

 " mains for thee ; and that is, if one of them will fore- 

 " go his pretentions. And now, my fons, continued 

 <c he, what have you to fay ? Which of you is dif- 

 <c pofed to facriflce his own fatisfaclion to the happi- 

 H nefs of his brother ?" They both made anfwer, that 

 they would fooner lofe their lives. The prince turned 

 again to the damfel, who feemed on the point of Unk- 

 ing to the earth, and faid : " Thy cafe excites my 

 *< companion ; but, as neither of the two will yield, I 

 " am obliged to condemn thee to a tingle flate, till ... 

 " one of thy lovers fhall change his opinion or die." 



The lot was cruel ; for in Mezzorania the ftate of 

 celibacy was a heavy difgrace. The whole affembly 

 5 was 



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